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LA s report: 10 p.c. defects T EN PER CENT of
Page 50
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the goods vehicles inspected by MoT examiners in 1965-66 had defects serious enough to warrant immediate prohibitions, according to the annual (October 1, 1965, to September 30, 1966) reports of the Licensing Authorities to the Minister of Transport, published this week (HM Stationery Office, 6s. 6d.).
Total number of vehicles operating under carriers' licences on September 30, 1966, was 1,472,000, a decrease of 61,000 from the previous year, the first recorded for some years and due entirely to a fall in the number of C licences. A licences, Contract A and B licences all continued to increase.
A total of 129,378 goods vehicles (about one in 12 of the number licensed) were inspected by Ministry examiners in 1965-66. Of these, 52,612 (41 per cent) were found to be defective and were the subject of prohibition notices because of mechanical or other defects.
This was slightly less than in 1964-65, when there were 139,428 inspections, resulting in 64,335 (46 per cent) prohibition notices. The reduction in the number of inspections in 1965-66 was due to greater concentration by Ministry examiners on inspection of goods vehicle maintenance facilities and systems.
While the proportion of vehicles found to be defective fell, there was no overall change in the proportion justifying immediate prohibition, although there were improvements in several Traffic areas. In 1965-66, immediate prohibitions were served on 13,033 vehicles (or 10.1 per cent of all vehicles examined) compared with 14,017 (10 per cent) in the previous year.
The number of summonses served on operators and drivers for infringements of the statutory limits on drivers' hours, or failure to keep proper records of hours driven, rose again in 1965-66, and resulted in 18,500 convictions compared with 17,158 in 1964-65.
To some extent, this increase was due to a rise in the number of Ministry traffic examiners and improvement in enforcement. A total of 1,528 operators were prosecuted in 1965-66, representing an increase of 18 per cent over the previous year, while 4,042 lorry drivers were prosecuted, a rise of 9 per cent.
During the 12 months under review, Licensing Authorities made greater use of their disciplinary powers under Section 178 of the Road Traffic Act, 1960.
Revocation of carriers' licences for safety reasons involved 66 vehicles compared with only four during the previous year. In addition, 651 vehicles (including 350 belonging to one operator) were removed from carriers' licences either by curtailment or suspension for varying periods compared with 181 in the previous year.